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Vanishing view? Fire towers remain in use but numbers dwindling

Published: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 4:51 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 4:51 p.m.

BUNNELL -- Both the climb to and the view from the Wadsworth fire tower are breathtaking.

At one time, the Florida Forest Service managed about 200 similar fire towers across the state built on 16-mile grids, said Mike Kuypers, Bunnell district manager for the service. That number has "slowly diminished" to 105 because of urbanization, which has reduced forest acreage, and patrol aircraft that help today's firefighters pinpoint fires.

While some unused towers, including two in Volusia County, may eventually be sold to the highest bidder, mostly for scrap, Bunnell's 100-foot Wadsworth tower ? named for Louis Wadsworth, who donated the land along U.S. 1 to the forest service to accommodate it ? isn't going anywhere soon. It's been given a historic designation by the state.

Passersby, assuming they are adults or accompanied by adults, can get permission to climb the 135 stairs to the top to get a glimpse of local terrain as a bird might see it by contacting the Forest Service. On a clear day, you can see west to Palatka from a balcony in front of the simple wooden cabin at the top, but there are no ocean views from the east-facing windows.

The wooden steps to the tower, arranged in 15 flights of nine, are narrow and steep. Parts of the handrail have been mended with lengths of thin cord. The tower is 22 square feet at the base, ascending to a 7-foot-by-7-foot cabin equipped with a World War II military "bombing site" alidade, a surveying instrument that is unique to the Wadsworth Tower.

Timber Weller, a wildfire mitigation specialist with the Forest Service, remembers filling in as a tower lookout when he was a forest ranger.

"The tower people were really good," he said while standing recently inside the Wadsworth Tower, which seemed to sway with each gust of wind. "I could get fooled by the dirt coming up off the (unpaved) roads and think it was smoke, or be really off when estimating how far away a fire was. The tower people could really pinpoint it."

When the 49-year-old Weller nimbly scrambled down the stairs to see if he could still make it within a minute, the entire structure shook.

"Most of the towers are equipped with circular, compass-like alidades that are marked with 360 degrees," Kuypers said. "(Tower lookout personnel) radio in the coordinates to dispatch. A neighboring tower will spot the same fire and give the coordinates and then you have triangulation. It helps to pinpoint exactly where a fire is."

Kuypers said the Forest Service has not manned towers full time since the late-1990s.t have an exact date> These days, volunteers or firefighters occasionally do "spot checks" from most towers, he said.

Jack Sargent, president of the Florida chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association, which is dedicated to the historic preservation of fire towers, said without the efforts of the association the number of towers would decline more rapidly.

"There aren't many that are actively manned," Sargent said. "Some are used during times when there is high to extremely high fire danger."

That's not the case this week. On Tuesday, the fire danger in Flagler County was designated as "Low."

Only two fire towers remain in Flagler; four in Volusia County. The general lack of use means towers like the Tomoka, in northwest Volusia west of Daytona Beach and Seville, will eventually be sold to the highest bidder.

"The Tomoka Tower, an 80-foot tower, was put up for sale three months ago," Kuypers said. "Our highest bid was $5. We thought we could do better than that, so we'll put it back up for sale shortly."

Kuypers said the Seville Tower also will be sold.

Forrest Watson is responsible for surplus fire towers for the Forest Service. He said the scrap-metal value of discarded towers is about $1,000.

"The cost is in moving the tower," Watson said. "Once you buy a tower, it's yours. We don't move it for you."

A "private individual" bought the last tower sold for $505 in March 2011, he said. It remains in Polk County, where it had been located. He said a Clay County tower was donated in July 2011 to the University of Florida for use in lightning studies. The Forest Service does still occasionally staff its towers during storms.

"I suppose, in theory, you could sit right in the middle of the cabin, with its wood floor," said Kuypers with a wide smile. "If lightning hit, there is so much steel all around you it should travel to the ground.

<p><p>BUNNELL -- Both the climb to and the view from the Wadsworth fire tower are breathtaking. </p></p><p><p>At one time, the Florida Forest Service managed about 200 similar fire towers across the state built on 16-mile grids, said Mike Kuypers, Bunnell district manager for the service. That number has "slowly diminished" to 105 because of urbanization, which has reduced forest acreage, and patrol aircraft that help today's firefighters pinpoint fires. </p></p><p><p>While some unused towers, including two in Volusia County, may eventually be sold to the highest bidder, mostly for scrap, Bunnell's 100-foot Wadsworth tower ? named for Louis Wadsworth, who donated the land along U.S. 1 to the forest service to accommodate it ? isn't going anywhere soon. It's been given a historic designation by the state.</p></p><p><p>Passersby, assuming they are adults or accompanied by adults, can get permission to climb the 135 stairs to the top to get a glimpse of local terrain as a bird might see it by contacting the Forest Service. On a clear day, you can see west to Palatka from a balcony in front of the simple wooden cabin at the top, but there are no ocean views from the east-facing windows.</p></p><p><p>The wooden steps to the tower, arranged in 15 flights of nine, are narrow and steep. Parts of the handrail have been mended with lengths of thin cord. The tower is 22 square feet at the base, ascending to a 7-foot-by-7-foot cabin equipped with a World War II military "bombing site" alidade, a surveying instrument that is unique to the Wadsworth Tower. </p></p><p><p>Timber Weller, a wildfire mitigation specialist with the Forest Service, remembers filling in as a tower lookout when he was a forest ranger. </p></p><p><p>"The tower people were really good," he said while standing recently inside the Wadsworth Tower, which seemed to sway with each gust of wind. "I could get fooled by the dirt coming up off the (unpaved) roads and think it was smoke, or be really off when estimating how far away a fire was. The tower people could really pinpoint it."</p></p><p><p>When the 49-year-old Weller nimbly scrambled down the stairs to see if he could still make it within a minute, the entire structure shook.</p></p><p><p>"Most of the towers are equipped with circular, compass-like alidades that are marked with 360 degrees," Kuypers said. "(Tower lookout personnel) radio in the coordinates to dispatch. A neighboring tower will spot the same fire and give the coordinates and then you have triangulation. It helps to pinpoint exactly where a fire is." </p></p><p><p>Kuypers said the Forest Service has not manned towers full time since the late-1990s.t have an exact date> These days, volunteers or firefighters occasionally do "spot checks" from most towers, he said. </p></p><p><p>Jack Sargent, president of the Florida chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association, which is dedicated to the historic preservation of fire towers, said without the efforts of the association the number of towers would decline more rapidly. </p></p><p><p>"There aren't many that are actively manned," Sargent said. "Some are used during times when there is high to extremely high fire danger."</p></p><p><p>That's not the case this week. On Tuesday, the fire danger in Flagler County was designated as "Low." </p></p><p><p>Only two fire towers remain in Flagler; four in Volusia County. The general lack of use means towers like the Tomoka, in northwest Volusia west of Daytona Beach and Seville, will eventually be sold to the highest bidder. </p></p><p><p>"The Tomoka Tower, an 80-foot tower, was put up for sale three months ago," Kuypers said. "Our highest bid was $5. We thought we could do better than that, so we'll put it back up for sale shortly." </p></p><p><p>Kuypers said the Seville Tower also will be sold.</p></p><p><p>Forrest Watson is responsible for surplus fire towers for the Forest Service. He said the scrap-metal value of discarded towers is about $1,000.</p></p><p><p>"The cost is in moving the tower," Watson said. "Once you buy a tower, it's yours. We don't move it for you." </p></p><p><p>A "private individual" bought the last tower sold for $505 in March 2011, he said. It remains in Polk County, where it had been located. He said a Clay County tower was donated in July 2011 to the University of Florida for use in lightning studies. The Forest Service does still occasionally staff its towers during storms. </p></p><p><p>"I suppose, in theory, you could sit right in the middle of the cabin, with its wood floor," said Kuypers with a wide smile. "If lightning hit, there is so much steel all around you it should travel to the ground. </p></p><p><p>"I don't know that I'd test that."</p></p><p><p>julie.murphy </p></p>